Watch: Ricky Ponting breaks down while paying tribute to Shane Warne

Chandigarh, March 6

Ricky Ponting, former Aussie skipper, broke down while commemorating his fellow mate and skipper Shane Warne. Warne, 52, was found dead in his villa on Friday. A suspected heart attack is believed to the cause of his death.

Also read: Shane Warne’s room had blood stains on floor and bath towels: Thai police

“Hard to put this into words. I first met him when I was 15 at the Academy. He gave me my nickname. We were teammates for more than a decade, riding all the highs and lows together. Through it all he was someone you could always count on, someone who loved his family,” tweeted Ponting.

“Someone who would be there for you when you needed him and always put his mates first. The greatest bowler I ever played with or against. RIP King. My thoughts are with Keith, Bridgette, Jason, Brooke, Jackson and Summer,” he added.

After the tweet, Ponting paid another tearful tribute to the leg-spinner. He said that it would take some time to sink in the news. “I have had a few hours now to digest it all and think about how big a part of my life he was and reflect on a lot of those memories,” Ponting said.

Warne had a glorious career in all formats of the game. Some of his records still stand monumental.